The University of California, San Diego’s 11th annual Dinner in the Library will take place Friday, Sept. 12 in the Geisel Library building, with proceeds benefiting the UC San Diego Library’s collections and services, which support student and faculty research and teaching. The evening’s festivities will include dinner and cocktails, a silent auction, and a keynote talk from internationally recognized biographer Noël Riley Fitch on “Sharing Julia Child’s Appetite for Life.”

Fitch wrote the first authorized biography of Julia Child, entitled “Appetite for Life.” As part of the evening, Fitch will give attendees a revealing look at Child’s incredible life. A culinary icon, Child is credited with bringing French cuisine to the American public with her cooking shows and famous cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”Thanks to a generous gift from the American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF), a national organization founded by Child and Robert Mondavi, the UC San Diego Library is home to the AIWF’s Culinary Collection, which includes more than 6,500 volumes and other food and wine-related materials dating back to the 17th century.

“The UC San Diego Library provides the foundation for the campus to advance knowledge and discoveries in everything from public policy and the arts, to healthcare and science,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Private support for the UC San Diego Library provides essential resources to help meet the information needs of our researchers, physicians, artists, students and community members.”

The UC San Diego Library provides access to more than seven million digital and print volumes, journals and multimedia materials.The Library’s vast resources, collections, and services are accessed more than 87,500 times each day via the Library’s website.

“The UC San Diego Library ranks among the top 25 public academic libraries in the nation,” said Brian E.C. Schottlaender, UC San Diego’s Audrey Geisel University Librarian. “It is support from our dedicated donors, alumni, and friends, that helps ensure that the Library can continue to advance the university’s leading-edge research and world-class education.”

As part of the evening, Dorothy Gregor will be honored with the 2014 Geisel Citation for Library Philanthropy. Gregor has played an integral role in the growth and success of the UC San Diego Library. She served as university librarian from 1985 to 1992, and led the Library through a period of great change, overseeing the underground addition to the Geisel Library building. Since then, she has continued to provide valuable assistance, including establishing the Dorothy D. Gregor Endowment for general support of the Library’s distinguished collections.

“Dorothy’s thoughtful patronage serves as an inspiration to others who understand the importance of academic research libraries in the pursuit of transformational discovery and knowledge,” said Schottlaender.

Tickets for Dinner in the Library are available for $225 per person or $1,800 per table. Cocktails and the silent auction begin at 5:30 p.m., with dinner and Fitch’s talk following at 7 p.m. For more information or to register for the dinner, please visit: library.ucsd.edu/about/dinner.